Labor would be well-placed with either Anthony Albanese or Bill Shorten as leader. Both are tough, intelligent and experienced politicians - just the qualities required to lead their party in Opposition.

But the worst thing that could happen right now is for just one candidate to put his name forward for the leadership of the ALP.

If the party is to grow, it must broaden its base. The best way of doing that is to give branch members a say in who their next parliamentary leader will be.

Surely the best test of whether a political party is connecting with the public is its ability to increase its membership and raise its campaign funds from people who support the aims of that party.

When political parties try to take shortcuts and rely too heavily on compulsory payments by taxpayers they are being relieved of their obligation to constantly prove their relevance to those Australians whose votes they need on election day.

If the ALP's internal processes are to become more democratic then the party needs to bite the bullet and put in place reforms that will encourage, not discourage, people from joining.

President Obama's visit to Australia provides us with a good opportunity to assess how the relationship between our two countries has developed over the years.

It is also an appropriate time to pause and consider how that relationship is starting to become more complex as China asserts itself as our most important trading partner and the key to our future prosperity.

A phoney war is a time for waiting. Eventually phoney wars turn into real ones. Bruce Hawker is a professional strategist and an advisor to the Rudd campaign team. He is contemplating when the Prime Minister will announce the battle.